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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: prune · band · bound · rash · plane · lie · club · trunk

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. band — a ring
  3. bound — certain
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. club — for golf
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. rash — a series
  9. bound — tied together
  10. lie — to recline
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. prune — to trim
  14. club — a group
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. prune — to trim
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bound — obliged
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. rash — hasty
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. band — a music group
  24. club — for dancing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com